March 15th, 2021
Dear Colleagues,
Recent issues of The Ithacan contained articles about the APP process and actions that were being considered by Faculty Council in response to it. The staff of Ithaca College, as represented by Staff Council, comprises a large block of its employees and we empathize with the pain that is being felt and expressed by our faculty colleagues. We empathize because for the past year, these painful cuts and realignments have been primarily experienced by the staff of Ithaca College, and we continue to face more this year. We understand the angst and stress that an unknown future creates because we live it, with you, every day.
But we also understand the tremendous weight of this moment in our history. Our current administration is here because as a community in 2015 all campus stakeholders expressed the opinion that our institution needed to be on a different pathway in order to create a more inclusive and equitable institution. Staff Council continues to support that vision. The financial challenges that we are experiencing as an institution did not begin with the current administration. Changes in demographics were recognized as far back as 1994 when the Whalen administration correctly projected that there would be enrollment challenges over the ensuing 20 years due to a declining number of traditional college age students and the rising cost of higher education. That point was brought home during the 2008 financial crisis and the board at the time worked diligently to slow down the rate and impact of tuition & room and board increases. In hindsight, it wasn’t enough.
In 2018 a vision was started to re-imagine the College and the many work groups that were formed included active representation from campus and community constituencies. We were already on a path to change and then COVID happened. We are confident in saying that no person reading this has ever before experienced a crisis of this magnitude. It turned the financial stability of higher education on its collective head and accelerated the need to activate change at Ithaca College.
The pain that this change has caused for staff has been immense, not only for those who lost their employment at Ithaca College, but for those of us who remain and continue to do the work necessary to keep the promise of an inclusive and vibrant campus community alive. We do it for a simple, but focused reason: Our purpose as an institution and as educators is to empower our students and prepare them to be the next generation of leaders. Our world needs them, because as difficult as the challenges are at Ithaca College, they are even greater on the national and global stage.
We understand that views on the APP vary widely but Staff Council believes in the ability of our community, including Senior Leadership, to navigate this moment in time. We believe that clear communication, transparent decision making, and compassion are critical elements for remaining strong as an institution and we hope that innovative ways will be identified to preserve faculty and staff positions whenever possible, but we understand that in some cases it will not be possible. We urge the administration to share and build with us their vision and hope for the future. We need tangible signs of optimism. A community in pain must see the hope of brighter days ahead and our history suggests again and again that when we articulate that vision, this community rallies.
To our alumni, we feel your passion and your disappointment at the loss of programs that you hold dear. The truth of higher education is that programs always evolve, but when it happens to yours, there is loss. But, we ask you to remember what makes Ithaca College special and not to give up on us and moreover, not to give up on our students. We need your generosity more than ever, because it is a key factor in helping us to build that brighter future.
To our students we say, you are our hope and our purpose. The staff at Ithaca College and, we believe our faculty colleagues as well, are committed to providing you with a unique educational experience that will help you define your values, activate your passions, and build comprehensive skill sets to enable you to make your mark on the world. For many, if not all of us, you are the reason we get up every day and your success is our success.
We are, all of us, quite literally, in this together. Staff Council believes in the ability of our community and all of its stakeholders to lean into the gravity of the moment, first to survive it, and ultimately, to thrive in spite of it.
Sincerely,
Staff Council
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Staff Council at staffcouncil@ithaca.edu. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.